Kings assistant coach John Stevens was the Flyers’ head coach for three years. Flyers assistant general manager Ron Hextall held the same position with the Kings for seven years. Kings GM Dean Lombardi was a pro scout for the Flyers.

The similarities continue with the fans, whose passion show how far hockey has come on the West Coast. In the third period of Saturday’s Flyers-Kings game, the L.A. faithful began to boo their team’s power play.

The Flyers have heard that tune before. In the early days of West Coast hockey, few fans have cared enough to show their displeasure when their team isn’t performing well.

Same goes for trade rumors and impulse reactions for the fans. Before Saturday’s tilt, some lifelong Kings fans were fathoming what kind of offensive player they could get in a trade for star goalie Jonathan Quick.

Forget that Quick has probably been the team’s MVP recently, the team isn’t scoring, so something must be done.

There’s another connection in the mix between Philly and L.A. that doesn’t get a whole lot of attention any more.

Ian Laperriere, now an assistant coach with the Flyers, played eight seasons for L.A.

For 595 games of his 1,083 NHL career, Laperriere was a King. It’s where he became somewhat of a cult icon for fans. His popular fan club, “It’s All About Lappy,” formed because of his days there.

“I got here when I was young,” Laperriere said. “I was 22 and I wanted to establish myself as an NHL player and they gave me that chance. For that, they have a special place in my heart.”

When his career was all said and done – well ahead of schedule after post-concussion symptoms forced him to retire – Laperriere had 121 goals and 215 assists.

Drafted in the seventh round of the 1992 draft by the Blues, Laperriere played parts of three seasons for the Blues before a brief, 28-game stint with the Rangers. Before even finishing out the season, he was part of a seven-player trade with the Kings. He then spent four seasons with the Colorado Avalanche before making his way to Philadelphia.

“When I got to L.A., (then coach) Larry Robinson and the Kings really gave me a chance to become an NHL player,” Laperriere said. “It’s something that I appreciate for sure.”

In his first season as an NHL assistant coach, Laperriere draws from his experiences with the Kings.

“We had tough times. We had bad teams. We had young teams,” Laperriere said. “I know how young guys feel on our team because I felt the same way when I was in L.A.”

These days, those rough times are being translated into coaching advice.

When the Flyers fired Peter Laviolette and Kevin McCarthy after three games this season, they made Craig Berube the new head coach. Berube knew just whom he wanted behind the bench with him.

“Obviously Lappy’s really enthusiastic and adds a lot of positive energy to our hockey team and a lot of knowledge,” Berube said. “He’s done a great job with the penalty kill this year, and he’s done a great job with our forwards, just going over stuff. We love having him around.”